Then silence settles between us again. A comfortable silence, and it surprises me. I’ve never felt that at ease around Axle. He’s always been Cabe’s intimidating older brother—the surly one. Either barking orders at us or ignoring us altogether.
It seemed like my presence always annoyed him, but now he appears to be perfectly happy, just sitting with me and watching the stars.
For a while, that’s exactly what we do. The mountains rest beneath the blanket of silver light. A coyote howls somewhere in the distance. The sound drifts in the air around us.
Without looking at me, Axle speaks. “You missing Colorado?”
The question catches me off guard.
I think about it. Then shrug. “I prefer it here.”
His head tilts slightly. “You do?”
I stare at the mountains. “Yeah, Wildhaven is home.” I smile softly. “My family is here.”
His gaze shifts toward me.
Something warm flickers in his eyes.
“And Cabe.”
“And Cabe,” I repeat.
He nods.
We drift back into silence, and time slips by, unnoticed. The way it does when you’re enjoying someone’s company.
At some point, our hands end up resting near each other on the railing.
Not touching, but close enough that I notice. Close enough that I wonder if he notices too.
Then his pinkie brushes mine. The contact is accidental. Just a tiny touch. Nothing more.
Yet a shiver races down my spine.
That’s number three.
Beside me, Axle remains perfectly still. Which somehow makes it worse. Because now I’m wondering if he felt it, too, or if I just imagined it.
Hours pass. Or maybe it’s only a few minutes.
Eventually, a rooster crows somewhere in the distance.
I blink. “No way.”
Axle glances toward the horizon.
The faintest hint of gold appears beyond the mountains.
“Good morning, Doc.”
“We sat here all night? Is that even possible?” I ask.
I slide off the railing. I grab my phone that lies discarded next to my book and tap the screen—4:00 a.m.
“Shit. It’s four o’clock. I should probably go try to sleep for a couple of hours.” I glance up at him.
“Yeah, we don’t need our doctor falling asleep on the job.”
